Groping
In a sexual context, groping or fondling is touching another person in an unwelcome sexual way. The term generally has a negative connotation in many societies, and the activity may be considered sexual assaultThe Age, 12 June 2019, 'Disgusting': man sentenced for groping female runner on Sydney's Bay Run or otherwise unacceptable. Touching a consenting person's body during sexual activity, massage, or medical examination is not usually considered groping, though the term is sometimes used to include clumsy, selfish, or inappropriate sexual touching. Areas of the body most frequently groped include the buttocks, breasts, vulva and thighs on a woman, and the penis, testicles and buttocks on a man. Gropers might use their hands, but pressing any part of their body against another person can be considered groping. The practice of women being subjected to a pat down by officers, such as customs or security officers at airports, is controversial, though most women reluctantly accept being touched in this manner as a fact of modern life. Such behaviour by public officials requires a clear legal authorization. There was an incident in Australia in August 2019 when the host at a charity event offered his cheek to a female guest presenter for a peck, before turning his head and kissing her on the lips. The presenter publicly said “that kind of behaviour is intolerable and the time for women being subject to it or having to tolerate it is long gone." The host apologised for his behaviour. Toucherism, considered a paraphilia, is a practice of a person touching another non-consenting person with their hands, typically in crowds, for their own sexual pleasure. Groping may be featured in pornographic films. Cultural incidents The incidence of groping varies around the world, and some countries have acquired a reputation for it. In some countries, it is common for a woman's buttocks to be pinched or slapped in a crowded area. Italy used to have a reputation for men pinching women's bottoms, and the term groping could perhaps be applied, but it was not a common term at that time (mid-20th century, for example). Japan has a reputation for females being groped on trains and buses to the extent that the authorities have implemented anti-groping campaigns, which has received considerable media attention and been the subject of serious study in recent years. In parts of South Asia, including India,The Express Tribune, July 8, 2013: Eve teasing: The power game, by Tehniya S Afridi. NepalSmriti Lakhey, "Eve Teasing" , Wave # 55, July 2000. and Bangladesh,"Eve-teasers beat dead youth in Dhaka" , Daily Star, 11 October 2014. public sexual harassment or molestation (often known as "street harassment") of women by men is widely referred to as Eve teasing. Combatting groping In many countries, non-consensual sexual touching of any part of another person's body is considered to be sexual assault and is illegal, but in almost all countries it is considered unacceptable behaviour. In practice, women are the predominant targets for groping. To combat groping, street harassment, and Eve teasing of women in crowded public places, some countries have also designated women only spaces. For example, sex-segregated buses, women-only passenger cars, and compartments on trains have been introduced in Mexico, Japan, the Philippines, the UAE and other countries to reduce such sexual harassment. Some places in Germany, Korea, and China have women's parking spaces, often for related safety issues. Will High-Heel-Friendly Streets Keep Seoul's Women Happy?, Time, 2009 Many more countries, including Canada, the United States, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom also grant parking privileges to pregnant women, for safety or access reasons. Japan In Japan, one gender groping another gender in public is called chikan (痴漢); and the term also describes the act itself. Crowded trains are a favorite location for groping and a 2001 survey conducted in two Tokyo high schools revealed that more than 2/3rds of female students had been groped while traveling on them. As part of the effort to combat the problem, some railway companies designate women-only passenger cars during rush hours. "Japan Tries Women Only Train Cars to Stop Groping: Tokyo Subway Experiment Attempts to Slow Epidemic of Subway Fondling" An ABC News article. While the term is not defined in the Japanese legal system, vernacular usage of the word describes acts that violate several laws. Although crowded trains are the most frequent targets, another common setting is bicycle parking areas, where people bending over unlocking locks are targeted. Chikan is often featured in Japanese pornography. This issue affects men in a different way. Since Japan has a very high conviction rate (99% by some sources), innocent men may have difficulty proving their innocence in court. The film I Just Didn't Do It by Japanese film director Masayuki Suo, based on a true story, focuses on a male office worker acquitted of groping after a five-year legal battle. The criminal courts have traditionally been lenient in cases of groping and have only recently made efforts to combat the social problem with tougher sentences. Fukada, Takahiro, "In anonymous packed train lurk gropers", The Japan Times, August 18, 2009, p. 3. United States Groping is illegal in the United States when there is no consent. The charge can vary from state to state but generally is considered to be sexual battery, sexual groping, or unlawful touching. In some jurisdictions, groping is considered criminal sexual conduct, in the second to fourth degree , if there is no sexual penetration. *Florida: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) : Officer Paulo Morales, 47, of Miami, pleaded guilty to sexually groping three women in his custody. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division stated, “The Justice Department will continue to investigate and prosecute criminal civil rights violations committed by law enforcement officials”, and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, “My office and the Department of Justice are fully committed to protecting the civil rights of our citizens from all types of abuses.”Department of Justice- Retrieved 2012-08-08 *Louisiana: Title 14, criminal law RS 14:43.1;Justia (US Law)- Retrieved 2012-08-08 §43.1. Sexual battery: A. Sexual battery is the intentional touching of the anus or genitals of the victim by the offender using any instrumentality or any part of the body of the offender, or the touching of the anus or genitals of the offender by the victim using any instrumentality or any part of the body of the victim, when any of the following occur: (1) The offender acts without the consent of the victim. *Michigan: The Michigan Penal Code (except), Act 328 of 1931, 750.520e Criminal sexual conduct in the fourth degree; misdemeanor. Groping is considered Criminal Sexual Conduct specifically; (v) When the actor achieves the sexual contact through concealment or by the element of surprise.Michigan law- Retrieved 2012-08-08 See also * Personal space * Sexual harassment * Non-penetrative sex * Eve teasing * Frotteurism * Debagging References Category:Sex crimes Category:Sexual acts Category:Sexual fetishism Category:Sexual harassment Category:Intimate relationships